Bog Queen by Anna North

I very much enjoyed this book--there are several layers of things going on, and it is beautifully packaged with a gorgeous cover. This is first the story of Agnes, a gifted American forensic anthropologist working in England, who’s early career, unsure of where she is going in life, and not getting the support from her family and friends to figure it all out. She is called to investigate a bog body pulled from the peat. At first it’s believed to be the corpse of a 20th-century murder victim, but Agnes quickly discovers that this remarkably well-preserved woman has lain below the murky surface for millennia, waiting for someone to uncover her secrets. In alternating chapters, the novel flashes back, telling the story of a young druid living in the earliest days of Roman-occupied Britain. She’s new to her role, and still discovering how best to use her power within her community. Though separated by time, these two women embark on parallel journeys, each discovering a world beyond their imagination. The book moves back and forth between who the bog woman was and what is happening in the present to figure her out. Agnes is most comfortable with what her role is vis-a-vis the dead and representing them in the present. There is a subtext of conservation, protecting bogs and their flora and fauna, and how understanding th past helps us to move forward in the present. All well told and a great read.